Handle for a drill- and/or chisel hammer

ABSTRACT

A handle for a drill- and/or chisel hammer has a mount which can be fixed to the hammer. A radial grip is fixed to said mount, the grip axis of said radial grip crossing a tool axis which is defined by the position of a tool received by the hammer. A tangential grip is also fixed to the mount. Said tangential grip has a first grip section whose grip axis is tangential to the tool axis and a second grip section whose grip axis is tangential to the tool axis and essentially perpendicular to the grip axis of the first grip section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to a supplemental handle for a hammer drilland/or a hammer chisel as well as a hammer drill and/or a hammer chiselcontaining the supplemental handle.

2. Description of the Related Art

For hammer drills, it is known from E 196 06 498 A1, for example, to useradial grips that can be fastened by the user to any desired radialposition relative to the tool axis, which is defined by the longitudinalaxis of the drill. This is done by means of a collar around the toolaxis that can be fastened to the hammer housing. In hammer chisels, aso-called spade grip has proven useful that tilts about the chisel axisand also can be tilted about an axis perpendicular to the chisel axisinto certain notch positions toward or away from the chisel. A similarhandle is known from DE 32 29 183C2.

In DE-AS 1 427 734, a percussion drilling machine is described in whicha radial handle is screwed into the housing of the drilling machine.

So-called combination hammers, i.e. hammers that are suitable both fordrilling as well as chiseling, are commonly only provided with onehandle variation suitable for one type of use, which is less suitablefor the other type of use. If, therefore, the user wishes to switchbetween chiseling and drilling, it is often necessary to exchange thehandle, which can be costly. Also, quickly changing the current gripposition is possible only by altering or repositioning the respectivehandle.

From DE-U-88 09 840, a combination hammer is known to which asupplemental handle can be fastened by means of a mounting support. Thesupplemental handle consists of a radial grip that can be fasteneddirectly to the mounting support and a tangential grip that can befastened to the mounting support by means of a traverse.

The objective of this invention is to provide a universal supplementalhandle that is equally suitable for drilling and for chiseling and thatoffers the user a number of ergonomically practical grip positionswithout expending work to reposition, or with minimal work toreposition.

This objective is met according to the invention by means of a handlewith the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous further developmentsof the invention are found in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a supplemental handle for a hammer drilland/or hammer chisel is provided that has a mounting support, a radialgrip that can be fastened to the mounting support or directly to thehammer and whose grip axis is essentially radial to a tool axis definedby the position of a tool held by the hammer, and with a tangential gripthat can be fastened to the mounting support. A first grip section ofthis tangential grip has a grip axis that runs essentially perpendicularto and at a distance from the tool axis, and a second grip section hasgrip axis that runs essentially perpendicular to and at a distance fromthe tool axis and essentially perpendicular to the grip axis of thefirst grip section.

By providing two types of handles according to the invention, namely aradial grip for the drill and a tangential grip for the chisel, it ispossible to switch between the different modes of operation withouthaving to change to a different handle accordingly. The especiallyadvantageous design of the tangential grip, namely dividing it into afirst grip section and a second grip section perpendicular to the first,enables the user to guide the hammer very comfortably, especially whenchiseling.

The handle arrangement according to the invention ensures that allhandle elements are located only in one quadrant of a planeperpendicular to the tool axis. This allows the other three quadrants ofthe plane to be kept open by the handle system so that it is alsopossible to drill or chisel right up against walls or in comers. Thethree handle sections offer three grip possibilities for an optimumsupport of the moments occurring when working.

By arranging its grip sections open upward, the tangential grip isdesigned so that the hand can be removed from the grip quickly at alltimes and—for example when the drill is unexpectedly seized—the handdoes not get caught.

In an especially advantageous further development of the invention, theradial grip is fastened removably to the mounting support, wherein itsremoval does not influence the fastening of the tangential grip. Thismakes it possible to quickly remove it from the mounting support and,for example, to fasten it at another position directly to the hammer,which is especially advantageous for vertical drilling downward.

In another advantageous further development of the invention, thetangential grip is fastened to the mounting support and can be tiltedabout an axis perpendicular to the tool axis. This ensures that thetangential grip can be tilted in the direction of the chisel, forexample when setting the chisel or, when drilling or chiseling,perpendicular downward, or backward away from the chisel so that theuser can create the best grip situation accordingly. The tilting of thetangential grip is possible without influencing the fastening of theradial grip.

An additional advantage is a locking element provided to lock thetangential grip to the mounting support wherein catches ensureform-locked positioning of the tangential grip relative to the mountingsupport and thus ensure a secure connection between the tangential gripand the mounting support during operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This and other features and advantages of the invention are explained inmore detail below with the help of an example and resorting to theaccompanying figures. Shown are:

FIG. 1 a hammer in a side view with the handle according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 a frontal view of the hammer with the handle in FIG. 1, seen fromthe left;

FIG. 3 a partial section of the handle in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 an exploded view of the handle of FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a hammer 1 is shown that is used as a hammer drill andchisel hammer, which has a handle 2 at its rear containing the on/offswitch in a common fashion.

At the front end of a hammer housing 3 is a mounting support 4 installedin a known fashion. The hammer housing 3 usually houses the transmissionin this area and can be made of plastic or metal. The mounting support 4is pushed onto the hammer housing 3 in the direction of a tool axis 5and is fixed at one end of the hammer housing 3 by means of a knownclamping mechanism, which serves as a fastening element 4 a, at anydesired angular position relative to the tool axis 5.

The mounting support 4 should be mounted such that its other end extendsbelow the hammer housing 3. Then, at its bottom side it holds atangential grip 6 and a radial grip 7. The tangential grip 6 has a firstgrip section 8 and a second grip section 9 perpendicular to andconnected to the first grip section 8 in one piece. To better understandthis, the grip axes in the respective grip sections 8, 9 are indicatedas dashed-dotted lines in FIG. 2. The free end 10 of grip section 9 isbroadened and shaped like a spade so that the user can get a more securegrip of the tangential grip 6 and to prevent an inadvertent slipping offof the second grip section 9. For the same reason, the end 11 of thefirst grip section 8 at the side nearest the hammer is also broadened.Broadening the end 11 nearest the hammer also guarantees that the useris protected against getting burned at the hammer housing, which ismostly made of metal. Also, the user's hand is protected againstelectric shock that could otherwise spark from the hammer housing 3 ifan electric line is inadvertently drilled.

The tangential grip 6 is fastened to the mounting support 4 by means ofa locking wheel 12 that serves as a locking element. The locking wheel12 is screwed into the mounting support 4 —as shown in FIG. 3 also—andclamps a flat area 13 of the tangential grip 6 between itself and themounting support 4. After loosening the locking wheel 12, the tangentialgrip 6 can be tilted about a stem 14 in the direction of the arrow shownin FIG.1. This stem 14 extends along an axis 15 that intersectsperpendicular to the tool axis 5. This makes it possible to tilt thetangential grip 6 in the direction of the tool, not shown, whichimproves the ability to guide the tool. Also, the tangential grip 6 canbe tilted backward toward the main grip 2—for example when working inlocations that are difficult to access.

In the desired position, the locking wheel 12 is again tightened,resulting in the catches 16 engaging between the tangential grip 6 andthe mounting support 4 and positioning the tangential grip 6 and themounting support 4 form-locked to one another. This prevents inadvertentgradual movement if the locking wheel 12 has not been sufficientlytightened. Examples of suitable catches 16 are grooves in the flat area13 of the tangential grip 6 and in the mounting support 4.

Below the locking wheel 12, the radial grip 7 is screwed in with athreaded pin 17. The grip axis 15 of the radial grip 7 shown bydashed-dotted line intersects the tool axis 5 perpendicularly. In caseswhere it is more appropriate for ergonomic reasons to hold the hammeronly at the main rear grip section, the radial grip 7 can be unscrewedfrom the locking wheel 12 and instead screwed into a threaded hole 18provided at the hammer housing 3. In this case, the grip axis 15 of theradial grip 7 no longer has to necessarily intersect the tool axis 5perpendicularly. In FIG. 2, a dashed line shows this position of theradial grip 7.

What is claimed is:
 1. A supplemental handle for a hammer comprising: amounting support; a radial grip which can be selectively fastened eitherto the mounting support or directly to the hammer; the radical griphaving a grip axis which is arranged essentially radial to a tool axisdefined by the position of a tool held by the hammer; and a tangentialgrip that can be fastened to the mounting support the tangential gripincluding a first grip section having a grip axis that runs essentiallyperpendicular to and at a distance from the tool axis and a second gripsection having a grip axis that runs essentially perpendicular to and ata distance from the tool axis and essentially perpendicular to the gripaxis of the first grip section.
 2. A supplemental handle according toclaim 1, wherein the mounting support can be fastened to the hammer viaa fastening element.
 3. A supplemental handle according to claim 1,wherein the radial grip is removably fastened to the mounting support.4. A supplemental handle according to claim 1, wherein the tangentialgrip is fastened to the mounting support and can rotate about an axisthat is perpendicular to the tool axis.
 5. A supplemental handleaccording to claim 4, wherein a locking element is provided to lock thetangential grip to the mounting support.
 6. A supplemental handleaccording to claim 4, wherein catches are provided to position thetangential grip form-locked relative to the mounting support.
 7. Asupplemental handle according to claim 2, wherein the mounting supportis fastened to a housing of the hammer such that it wraps around thetool axis.
 8. A supplemental handle according to claim 1, wherein themounting support can be rotated in a plane perpendicular to the toolaxis and can be locked in any desired position.
 9. A hammer with asupplemental handle according to claim 1, wherein the radial grip can bedirectly fastened to the hammer.
 10. A supplemental handle for a hammercomprising: a mounting support; a radial grip configured to beselectively fastenable to either the mounting support or directly to thehammer, wherein a grip axis of the radial grip is arranged essentiallyradial to a tool axis defined by the position of a tool held by thehammer; and a tangential grip configured to be fastenable to themounting support, the tangential grip having a first grip section havinga grip axis that runs essentially perpendicular to and at a distancefrom the tool axis and a second grip section having a grip axis thatruns essentially perpendicular to and at a distance from the tool axisand essentially perpendicular to the grip axis of the first gripsection.
 11. A supplemental handle according to claim 10, wherein themounting support is fastened to the hammer with a fastening element. 12.A supplemental handle according to claim 10, wherein the radial grip isremovably fastened to the mounting support.
 13. A supplemental handleaccording to claim 10, wherein the tangential grip is fastened to themounting support and can rotate about an axis that is perpendicular tothe tool axis.
 14. A supplemental handle according to claim 13, furthercomprising a locking element that locks the tangential grip to themounting support.
 15. A supplemental handle according to claim 13,further comprising catches which position the tangential gripform-locked relative to the mounting support.
 16. A supplemental handleaccording to claim 11, wherein the mounting support is fastened to ahousing of the hammer such that it wraps around the tool axis.
 17. Asupplemental handle according to claim 10, wherein the mounting supportcan be rotated in a plane perpendicular to the tool axis and can belocked in any desired rotational position.
 18. A hammer with asupplemental handle according to claim 10, wherein the radial grip canbe directly fastened to the hammer.